Courgette and haloumi pasta

This recipe was borne out of a previous unsuccessful attempt to make a courgette pasta. This time I went with flavours I know I love and the result was spectacular, if I do say so myself.

What to use – based on one person

75-100g pasta per person, depending on how hungry you are – I use this

table spoon olive oil

big clove of garlic, crushed (I actually used two cloves because I love the stuff but go with what suits you)

50g haloumi

juice of half a lemon

one courgette – grated

six cherry tomatoes – halved

salt and pepper

fresh basil to garnish

How to use it

Put your pasta on to boil. The pasta I use takes 10 minutes and you can make this dish in the 10 minutes it takes to boil your pasta.

Put on two frying pans. Cut the haloumi into slices approx. width of a pound coin, then cut into pieces approx. 2cm long. Put a small drizzle of olive oil into one of the frying pans and add the haloumi. You’ll need to flip it part way through – the cheese should be brown and a tiny bit crispy is ok too. Needs to be on a high enough heat not to burn but not so that it just goes rubbery and loses water.

In the other frying pan add a table spoon of olive oil and warm on a low heat. Add the clove of crushed garlic. After about a minute add the juice of half a lemon. Cook gently for another minute or two. You want the garlic to be cooked but not brown.

Wash your courgette and grate it. Add the courgette to the pan of oil, lemon and garlic, and mix so the flavours coat the courgette and the courgette gently warms.

Drain your pasta, and put back into the pan. Pour in the courgette, oil, garlic and lemon mix, making sure you use a spatula to get every last drop out. You don’t want to waste flavour.

Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste (would be fine without salt because of the haloumi), and mix well. Scoop into your pasta bowl and sprinkle over some torn basil, the haloumi and a drizzle more olive oil.